Con Ioannidis is one of four men newly charged in the widening cash-for-registration scandal involving the Victorian Building Authority (VBA), as part of the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission’s (IBAC) Operation Perseus.
According to The Herald Sun, Ioannidis, along with Murat Aslan, Paul Matei, and Ozan Tasci, is scheduled to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on May 30, 2025, facing corruption charges linked to the alleged payment of bribes for fast-tracked building registrations.
Prosecutors claim that tradespeople paid bribes via a small group of middlemen to VBA staff to secure building registrations. Ioannidis received his registration in 2023, while Aslan, Matei, and Tasci were registered in 2022.
The latest charges bring the total number of accused to 38, including three former VBA employees—Iolanda Fazzari, Philip Caccamo, and Benedetto “Ben” Sano.
Central to the investigation is the Oztas family in Dallas, with Omer, Ozcan, and Fatih “Frank” Oztas accused of facilitating the bribes. Omer is allegedly the principal middleman.
IBAC launched Operation Perseus after the VBA reported suspected misconduct.
An IBAC spokeswoman confirmed the new charges, stating, “These charges are in addition to 28 people charged by IBAC as part of Operation Perseus in January 2025, and six people charged in 2024.”
Source: Herald Sun.
